Gift Guide for the Wine Student and Aficionado

There's a point where someone shifts from a person who appreciates wine to a full blown aficionado who is particular about their glassware, tools and accessories to support their interest. This same person may also become a student of wine in some form or fashion. This gift guide is built for them. Some of these gifts are very specialized and investments toward their education.

Glassware, specialized and universal

Maybe it is psychological, but the Riedel Winewings glasses I found to be of huge assistance during my wine studies as I began to understand aromas in wine. They are also gorgeous and something to talk about!

That said, a nice set of Universal Glassware is going to help your lucky recipients and their friends to see, smell and taste any wine that comes through the cellar. You cannot go wrong with these!

Wine Openers

This may seem obvious but mastering a corkscrew is an industry standard and I have found, post people are impressed when someone knows their way around a winekey. So, here's a great winekey with a bit of heft and style.

When traversing the rare bottle collector terrain however, more specialized equipment to remove potentially delicate corks is important. I'd recommend this 2 piece cork remover. It's pricey but when rare and valuable bottles are concerned, this tool will make a difference.

Wine Stoppers

I won't make cute on this point-- as a wine student, I stressed out a lot about opening wine and keeping it preserved to adequately engage with it. Let me explain-- oxidation or the wines exposure to air, has a huge impact on the color, aromas and taste of the wine over time. Once open, wine can keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator with the RIGHT closures. These wine stoppers will definitely help keep your wine fresh longer. This is a great gift for any wine lover you know, but especially helpful for wine students and people who take wine seriously.

This stopper also features aeration and straining mechanisms which come in handy to aerate the wine while it is poured and try to catch any large sediment that may be in the wine to keep it out of the glass.

This is even harder when it comes to sparkling wine because the bubbles is the point! An appropriate Champagne/Sparkling Stopper is a great gift to keep those bubbles alive and dancing in the glass!

I recommend at least 2 if your lucky gift recipient really enjoys sparkling wines!

Wine Reference and Tasting Journal

A wine student in an education program will have reference texts provided by the certification program, but I cannot recommend Wine Folly's Magnum Master's Guide (below left) highly enough. The information is top notch, easy to reference and brilliantly presented with gorgeous graphics.

The Wine Folly Tasting Journal (below right) is a natural companion and an easy gifting win! Wine tasting is a fun exercise and although the journal has a finite amount of space, it's a great place to record wines from important events and bottles and when space runs out, you know what to gift next year!

Wine Storage

Every collection, no matter the item of interest, starts off with a bounty slightly larger than the space to contain it. Simply put, your loved one may have more wine than storage, but storage is VERY important for the longevity and vitality of wine.

It's definitely a scaling issue that a great gift giver must navigate but allow me to provide some insight and if you, the gift giver, would like to speak more on the topic, feel free to email me!

There are a few basic principles to follow to help keep wine optimally stored.

1. Wine bottles should be stored on their side so that liquid remains in contact with the cork. Cork needs the moisture to remain supple and expanded which retains a tight closure. With a tight closure, less oxygen enters the bottle and oxidation is less likely to age the wine.

2. Wine should be kept out of direct sunlight so avoid shifts in temperature. Sunlight through the glass can create a shift in temperature in the bottle which can ruin the bottle. In general, fluctuations in temperature should be avoided. Aim for a storage temperature out of direct sunlight between 55 and 70 degrees.

3. Once refrigerated, keep the wine cold and without too much fluctuation in temperature. So as a rule, only refrigerate once you know you'll be drinking it soon.

Wine Fridge

Wine Fridges are the best chance for temperature control. It is also very handy to keep your white wines and sparkling wines chilled and ready to drink.

Choose your bottle count in even numbers and scale according to needs and space allotted. There are some massive wine fridges out there!

Shelving

This is a very practical gift, especially if you find a nice counter top system or statement piece that can be mounted to a wall.

That said, if your loved one has a basement or pantry with space, a larger rack for storage would likely very be appreciated and is more cost effective than a wine fridge.